Brooklyn and the Boy Who Lived

Tragedy and Flight of the Prince

Brooklyn saw the familiar scenery of Hogsmeade return, as they had managed to Apparate safely. He panted slightly while trying to hold Dumbledore by his arm over his shoulder. Dumbledore was in pain...they needed to get him to Madam Pomfrey...he shuddered softly as Brooklyn remembered those terrible Inferi, glad to be away from that place.

Harry looked quite optimistic, though, holding the locket in his hands. "We did it! We got the Horcrux!" Brooklyn managed a small grin, but hoped that they could find a safe way to destroy it that wouldn't result into what happened to Dumbledore's hand.

"Yeah... guess we did," he mumbled, suddenly feeling Dumbledore stagger beneath him and he grunted to hoist him up.

"Sir? Are you okay?" Harry asked in an urgent tone. Dumbledore's mouth twitched in a small grin.

"I've been better... that was no health potion..."

Brooklyn chuckled slightly. "We'll get you to Pomfrey, Professor. She'll fix you—." But Dumbledore shook his head, surprising him and Harry.

"No, I need Severus...." He whispered, which confused Brooklyn enormously, why would he need Snape at a time like this?

Eventually Rosemerta found them, her face looking worried, as she pointed out the Dark Mark over Hogwarts, that send a spine chilling feeling of dread down Brooklyn's spine, if Griff, Katie or Brody were one of the victims...he didn't know how much more pain and death he could witness...

Rosemerta gave Harry a broom while Brooklyn had Dumbledore secure on his back, flying as carefully as he could with Harry back. He growled silently at the horrible skull and snake image glittering evilly in the sky above them.

But when they arrived where the Dark Mark was, there was no body, or anything, which confused Harry and Brooklyn.

The gargoyle saw Dumbledore clutching his hand to his chest, breathing raggedly.

"You two, go... get Severus. Tell... tell him what had happened. Stay under the cloak, don't tell anybody else... I shall wait here..."

Brooklyn shook his head. "I can't leave you unguarded!" He protested.

"You two swore to obey me, now go!"

With one final desperate look at Dumbledore, Brooklyn turned to follow Harry to the door. But there were footsteps running on the other side. Dumbledore made a hand gesture to the brothers to retreat into hiding. Brooklyn nodded and quickly pulled Harry into the shadows with him. Somebody burst through, and shouted:

"Expelliarmus!"

Brooklyn immediately felt himself freeze up, as did Harry, the two of them falling against the wall like a statue. This was confusing Brooklyn to a great extent: Expelliarmus was not a freezing charm.

That was when he saw that it was Dumbledore's doing, he wordlessly immobilized them both together, the cloak covering them both.

Standing against the ramparts, very white in the face, Dumbledore still showed no sign of panic or distress. He merely looked across at his disarmer and said, "Good evening, Draco."

No! Thought Brooklyn in disbelief and horror, not able to move any limbs, watching the scared boy moving towards Dumbledore with his wand out, pointing it at Dumbledore's chest.

"Who else is here?"

"A question I might ask you. Or are you acting alone?"

"No," he said. "I've got back-up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight, along with another friend, Demona."

Brooklyn felt his frozen face go pale. Demona was in Hogwarts?! This was bad news. Katie could get hurt from her or worse!

"Well, well," said Dumbledore, as though Malfoy was showing him an ambitious homework project. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"